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Another view. Back in the early 1990s I spent 6 months as a gliding instructor at Lasham airfield in the UK. On one Saturday afternoon, when the weather was brilliant (yes it sometime happens in the UK), I was in the back seat training a student and found a very strong thermal. We were joined by others, which presented a good opportunity to teach 'thermal rules and etiquette'. After about 5 minutes, once I was confident with the student, I counted the sailplanes in the thermal with us. It numbered 16, most without radios, with different skill levels and all within a couple of hundred feet of each other, vertically and horizontally. It was scary, especially for an Australian used to seeing only one or two gliders in the same thermal. That day was followed by a bar room session on the number of gliders a thermal will support. Nowadays, having more than 4-5 aircraft in circuit, with different performance levels, frustrates me. A different time, a younger person, and a different discipline. Steve

Chris I have a Varieze, an earlier Rutan variant to the Longez. I've not had it long and I am still getting to know it idiosyncrasies. The Longez has a longer range, better payload and arguably not as good looking as the Varieze. As a general impression, canard aircraft are different to fly. Not harder but different. The biggest issue I have with my Varieze is seeing around the canard to spot land on a 10 foot wide bitumen strip that is 2,500 feet long. This is my home strip. Oval circuits and fast approach speed, (when I can see around the canard wing) is my solution. I have flown many taildraggers, such as the Pitts Special, and the challenge is about the same in seeing what is in front of you. The Varieze spends a long time on the ground before it gets airborne and consumes a lot of the strip on landing. It is not a short field aircraft and prefers bitumen to grass. The same applies to the Longez although the Longez will cope with grass if it has 5 inch wheels. In terms of performance, the Varieze cruises around 130 knots @ 6,500' (using a 100hp continental), circuit and approach speed is around 80 knots (although minimum speed is less than 45 knots) and I use 2/3 of the strip (1800') to get airborne and land. The Longez will do better if the engine is larger. The Varieze is slippery and uses an air-brake to help control the glide-path for a landing. If you have flown a variety of aircraft and have some gliding experience the transition should be easy. In fact, I ended up transitioning myself after research and discussions with the CFI. Steve

Done

I've used Brasso to remove scratches on both windscreens for the Ducati's I own. Some scratches were deep. Works a treat. Steve

Polo Flat (Cooma NSW) has a truck roadhouse next to the airfield. It is an easy walk into Cooma and a lively place during the snow season. Cheers

WINGS http://www.visitmaryborough.com.au/food_and_wine.html All aircraft must supply their own tie-down ropes, pegs and chocks. All aircraft must carry their own insurance. A pilot must be at the controls for starting- please ask an official to arrange assistance if you need a hand. There will be designated parking areas. Please park there and await pickup by field vehicle. Vintage Aircraft Fly-in Saturday Sealed Runway 17/35 will be CLOSED on Sunday between 7.00 am and 4.30 pm for car sprints. Gravel Runway 6/24 will be open during the day but ALSO CLOSED BETWEEN 11.30 am to 1.30 pm Between 12.00pm and 1.00pm there will be an aircraft performing aerobatics over the aerodrome. Pilets are asked to keep the air space clear during that time. Non-vintage aircraft are also welcome. Unless you have contacted us to make arrangements prior to the event, it will be up to the discretion of the ground marshals to decide which aircraft will be parked in the display area. All aircraft will be separated from public areas by a fence. Both runways are open all day Saturday for arriving aircraft and local flying. Some taxiways and areas of the apron will be closed. Marshals will direct arriving aircraft to the parking areas. Fly-in visitors need to register on arrival at the Terminal Building and will receive an airside pass. The Terminal Building provides basic tea and coffee facilities, toilets and a lounge area. The Old Aviators Flying Museum will be open all day both Saturday and Sunday. Contact the “Maryborough Aero Club” for details of activities for pilots on Saturday. Fred Trebble 0409859565 Saturday Pilots must check NOTAM’s and follow directions on the ground, but it is proposed all runways will be open to aircraft. On Saturday a Car Rally will run from Maryborough Railway Station to Clunes historic town (Book Town and star of Mad Max 1 movie) at 1pm and finishing at the aerodrome taking in local attractions. Pilots and their crews wishing to join the car rally will be most welcome and matched with a car taking part. The rally will cost $5 per person. If you wish to participate just let us know when you register on arrival at the Terminal Building. You will need to be registered at the airport by 12 noon to enable us to transport you to the rally. At 4 pm the Car Rally will finish at the aerodrome to coincide with a Mayoral Reception to be held in the Museum Hangar. All visiting pilots and their crews are invited to attend. There will be a group attending the Ripples Restaurant for dinner starting 6.00 pm on Saturday night. Experience is that venues are very busy and it would be best to book. There are many good places to dine including local restaurants, pubs and clubs. Bookings are strongly advised. Accommodation is available in Maryborough for the Saturday night, for a list of options please visithttp://www.visitmaryborough.com.au/accomodation.html. If you wish to camp with your aircraft please let us know when you register. Wings Dinner – Ripples on the Res The “wheels dinner” will be held on Saturday 19th September 2015 at the Ripples Restaurant. Ripples on the Res is located on the Maryborough Reservoir on the Maryborough – Ballarat Road just on the outskirts of Maryborough. It is a cosy circular restaurant with a log fire located in the centre. Food is excellent and it has an excellent atmosphere for events. Welcome for all to attend. Great opportunity to get to know others passionate in all things aircraft and flying. A former RAAF member will give an interesting report on his experiences in Britain during World War 2 Contact and website for Ripples on the Res: http://www.ripplesontheres.com.au/menu/ http://www.visitmaryborough.com.au/food_and_wine.html There are limited places so you will need to book early. Remember Book Early! Sunday Sealed Runway 17/35 will be CLOSED on Sunday between 7.00 am and 4.30 pm forfor car sprints. Gravel Runway 6/24 will be open during the day but ALSO CLOSED BETWEEN 11.30 am to 1.30 pm Pilots must check NOTAM’s for current updates. Sunday’s event involves vehicle sprints along the sealed runway all day with accompanying food stalls, commentary, and car shows. The large model aircraft flying display has been cancelled due to CASA permit issues.

My guess is that MTOW will increase. There have been some consistent rumors about this these last few months.

One thing not mentioned so far is the processing delay once you have jumped through all the technical/training hoops. From CASA service stats it is taking them 43 days, on average, to process a RPL application if you have a RAA pilot certificate. I presume that is 43 business days. My advice, do not be in a hurry. Steve

I'll add to Yenn's advice by suggesting you also get some time in different aircraft, particularly if you have been flying the same type for a while (eg Jabiru's or other training aircraft). When I converted into the Cassutt Racer, a high performance single seat GA aircraft, my insurer's insisted I do some work in a Pitts Special. The work in the Pitt's Special did nothing to prepare me other than put me in an aircraft I was unfamiliar with. My thoughts and techniques were challenged, which is not a bad thing when converting to a new aircraft. As it turned, out my gliding experience and speed attitude control put me in a good position to convert to the Cassutt Racer. I had none of the trouble some others had when they converted straight from draggy Cessna's to the Racer. Some thoughts anyway. Cheers Steve

Not sure about the RPL and aero endorsement. I've been told by one senior CASA officer that you cannot do aerobatics with a RPL. I've sought clarification several times from CLARC and never got a response to that specific question. Cheers Steve

Likewise, I've seen this one advertised several times over the last decade. I presume it is a much modified Aerosport Scamp? If so the figures would be interesting given the Aerosport Scamp was designed for a 60hp VW engine. Cheers Steve

Bruce My RAA CFI has one. As long as you are able to get a medical clearance as indicated above you should be fine. Cheers Steve

On a more serious note, I know of a CFI who is 83 this year. His spin on being mature in age and still flying is currency. If you stay current in flying and you are in good health then there is no reason you should stop. The older you are the more current in flying you have to be. If you loose your currency then your risk profile sharply changes. Some thoughts.

This is an interesting thread. In my planning BOM and NAIPS are a must. Just before I head off a quick telephone call to the point of destination or a look at weatherzone to find out what is actually happening is the next step. At the end-of-the-day, in the mountain country I fly, it is a blend of this information, and experience, that keeps me safe. NAIPS area forecasts in this context have very limited use. Cheers Steve

Yep. In Australian Flying yesterday. http://www.australianflying.com.au/news/part-61-reforms-postponed

A slightly different view. If you want to go from point (a) to point (b), or just do an hour or two flying on the weekend, and the local school has reasonably available aircraft to hire, then you hire. If you have special wants or needs, for example, you want to fly vintage aircraft, or amphibians, or do aerobatics (GA), or drop in to see friends who have a 400m strip nestled in amongst hills, or do super fast cross country trips, then you should consider buying. Syndicates are fine provided the group is stable and you document up front your expectations on use, maintenance and upgrades. My preference is for sole ownership but there are down sides. Cost aside, it is the inconvenience of fixing problems when things go wrong. You have no one else to share the load, unless your LAME has the hangar next door to you. Also, when you are tied up with work or home life and the aircraft hasn't been used in 3 weeks you worry about lack of use. Mind you, the need to 'turn the engine over' has convinced my 'better half' many times over the last 15 years that I should go flying. Steve

I generally operate my Cassutt Racer from a grass strip with the wheel fairings off. A pity because I loose 7 knots (on average) from my cruise speed and 10 knots (or so) from my top speed. When I have had the fairings on I end up with more rub marks, grass jaming things up and lost screws from every flight, regardless of the thread lock used. The wheels sit high in the fairing. To cover up the fairing brackets, possibly improve performance and the looks of the aircraft I've toyed with the idea of half fairings. I've seen them on the Hummel Birds, Sukhois and Maule Rockets. A long sho,t but does anyone know of some plans that I can use? Cheers Steve

Col The Regulations are up on the ComLaw web site. Over 700 pages at last count. Cannot see any transition clauses yet but will keep on looking. It will be interesting to see how they implement the changes. There are a few Commonwealth Agencies 'crashing' through legislation in the lead up to the election but this one surprises me, unless it was already in train. From what I see there are a couple more twists in the RPL compared to the draft but otherwise reasonably consistent. cheers Steve

Hmmmm ........it should have been 'defections' from GA to RAA not 'deflections' above. Mind you 'deflections' almost works if you think in terms of the change in RAA values brought about by the influx of GA pilots. Steve

I find this an interesting debate so I’ll add my 2 cents worth. The RAA is what the members want it to be. If the focus is on aircraft with cruise speeds in excess of 100 knots rather than 50 knots then it reflects what the members want. Yes I am a plastic fantastic driver but I started in a much earlier time. I can remember jumping into factory fresh SV farmates and sapphires and thinking them the bees knees. Tomorrow there will be a serious debate about the structure and governance of the RAA. It is a debate that is much needed and I hope the outcome will be positive. I sincerely hope there is not too much blood spilled because at the end of the day, the staff, the Board and members have the best interests of the RAA at heart, irrespective of competence. This said, I still harbor concerns that we will be addressing the symptoms of our problem and not the virus. Yes we have had lackluster staff and Board members but I still hold to the view that RAAs biggest problem has been growth. The RAA structures, processes and culture reflect that of an aero club and not that expected of a peak entity that supports recreation flying. They have not grown with the increase in size of membership so it is hardly surprising that systems and processes have let the RAA down through failed audits. Growth has also diluted those values that the young AUF so fervently held onto in its early days. The marketing of RAA, the defection of pilots from other flying disciplines including gliding and GA, and its monopoly position are some of the reasons why RAA has had this extraordinary growth. The RAA cannot turn back the clock nor should it. Services must reflect what the majority of what membership wants. But, then again, perhaps the tap could be turned off so the garden can soak up the water. RAA needs time to appoint decent people and get its systems upgraded and even look at those values it wants to promote without the pressure of growth. Perhaps it’s time for CASA to stop playing with its recreation license, which it has since 1997, and pass the draft legislation. An election year is a good time for stakeholders to make noises. The influx of GA deflections to RAA may then slow to a trickle and growth may be tempered to a sustainable level. Whatever the case, there is no easy answer. Cheers Steve

We have a bit of thread drift. I presume it's because we have no consensus on AUF Mk2. A pity because if CASA marches into the RAA and takes over, invited or not, short term or long term, then we need some sort of arrangement to support/preserve our hard won flying entitlements/benefits. I'm just a little concerned that the rag and tube flyers will be further marginalised. I have no doubt CASA could do a reasonable job of administering the plastic fantasic end. I'm making a big assumption that CASA will get involved, which of course may not happen given the outcome of the February meeting. Still, you should always plan. Cheers Steve

A word of caution if I may. I got caught last year using a GA BFR for RAA purposes. They have changed the rules and it is not reflected in the manuals. In the past a log book entry for your GA BFR was sufficient for RAA HP aircraft puposes. Now the GA instructor must note the review was conducted in compliance with CAR 5.81 either in the log book or in any associated paper work and be conducted in an aircraft with a MTOW of less than 1500 kgs. I wrote a long letter to Steve Tizzard early last year suggesting that changes in policy be reflected in the manuals but had no response. I suspect the manual is in process of being updated. I ended up getting my GA instructor adding the extra words and signing it before my GA BFR was accepted for RAA flying. Cheers Steve